It is known in the art to provide sound reference monitoring via a ‘wedge speaker’ located near the performing musician. Such a system is shown as part of FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a stage venue 100 diagram showing one musician 10 on the stage 40. It should be noted that there is typically more than one musician and one instrument on stage and the description below will apply to all instruments although only one instrument, a guitar is shown by way of example and not of limitation. The musician plays electric guitar 12 with output wire 13 feeding onstage amplifier/speaker 16. Amplifier/speaker 16 output is picked up by on-stage microphone 14 and sent to performer(s) stage sound mixer 20 via cable 18. Performer(s) stage sound mixer 20, in turn, feeds amplifier 22 via cable 21 and amplifier 22 drives wedge speaker 26 via cable 24. The performer can hear a requested mix of all on-stage instruments via wedge speaker 26 and can hear the guitar output directly via the speaker on amplifier/speaker 16. The guitar 12 output from amplifier/speaker 16 is picked up by on-stage microphone 14 and fed to performer(s) stage sound mixer 20 via cable 18. All other instrumentation on stage will also feed performer(s) sound mixer 20. Performer(s) stage sound mixer 20 splits the signal received on cable 18. This 2nd output (i.e. “alternate output”) is sent to audience sound mixer 30 via cable 28. Audience sound mixer 30 feeds amplifiers 36, 37, which drive respective on-stage house speakers 38, 39. Thus audience 42 can listen to the performance output. Performer(s) stage sound mixer 20 and audience sound mixer 30 will typically each have a person (not shown) controlling their respective outputs. In this setup wedge speaker 26 is placed stably on the ground with the sound being broadcast upwards towards musician 10. One problem is that wedge speakers tend to have a very tight broadcast field to ensure that sound is only heard if the performer is standing directly in front of the wedge. This is to ensure that when multiple wedges are used, the different sounds are restricted to different parts of the stage instead of all joining together into an unidentifiable mess. Musicians also need to make sure that the vocal element of a microphone is pointed away from the wedge speakers to minimize feedback. This limits the musician's ability to roam about stage 40 and continue to monitor the music without interference or causing a signal with added effects such as reverberation, echo, delay or chorus.
It is also known in the prior art to provide in-the-ear monitoring systems to allow musicians to monitor audio signals as the musician is performing. These typically require hip or belt pack, a distribution box with an audio line level output and a breakout box. These require use of multiple cables and wires to accomplish headset monitoring limiting movement by the musician. Headset systems as such typically require a line level input, and cannot accept a speaker level signal.
U.S. Patent Application US 2004/0208328 A1 to Strother (filed Apr. 15, 2003) is an audio monitoring and mixing system comprising a portable monitoring circuit (or hip pack), a breakout box, and a distribution circuit. The portable monitoring circuit includes a mixer for mixing audio signals to provide a mixed audio signal to an individual musician and a feedthrough for patching out an instrument effects signal. The breakout box includes a feedthrough circuit for distribution the first plurality of audio signals to the portable monitoring circuit and a second feedthrough for patching through the instrument effects signal from the portable monitoring circuit and providing the signal to an instrument effects processor. The distribution circuit receives audio signals and provides select ones to the portable monitoring system.
The present invention provides an improved method and apparatus to allow a musician precise monitoring, more movement about stage, a reduction in cables needed and an improved simplicity of pre-performance setup of equipment. It eliminates the need for a hip pack, distribution box and wedge speaker.